Billy and the Golden Gate (7 page)

“What are we going to do now? Can't get across that,” Daisy says.

Billy scans the ground; there is a sheer rock face to their right and the expansive water to their left. The gap is narrowest exactly where they are stood, for sure.

Peter is shaking his head, “That's it then. Will we head back? Maybe there's another road.”

“There is no other road,” Billy says simply. “This is it.”

Daisy twiddles one of her curls and digs her foot into the muddy ground. She is also shaking her head.

The drop at the far side is also sheer but the plateau of rock is on a par with where they are currently standing. Billy stares at it.

“It's only about six or seven feet I'd say,” Rufus says.

“Hum, it's at least that; it's ages, Rufus,” Peter exclaims.

“Not for a tall fella like you, Screech,” Rufus replies.

Peter looks at him, eyes blinking behind his glasses.

“You are kidding, right? I can't swim and I think I hurt my knee back there.” Peter gestures back to the spot where he slipped.

Daisy rolls her eyes.

“You did not Peter, that is not the truth.”

Peter blushes a little bit and says nothing.

“Right, I'll do it,” Billy says quickly. “Clear a bit of space for me, I need a good run at it.”

“Billy!” Daisy exclaims. “It's really, really far down.”

They have all forgotten about Gunner Sharpie who is hanging back watching them intently, the corner of his mouth twitching slightly.

“It's OK,” Billy says. He walks way back from the edge, turns, takes off his backpack and hands it to Rufus. “Will you throw this across to me? After?” Rufus nods.

Billy steadies himself and breathes deeply for several moments. He stands and then starts running as hard as he can – without any hesitation, he leaps. His friends and Gunner Sharpie watch him; the leap seems to go on forever.

Billy is propelled across; he lands, just inches from the edge. For a moment he is off balance and looks like he will fall back, but just in time he catches himself. He's done it!

“Well done Billy!” Rufus calls out. “Here.” He throws the backpack and Billy catches it easily.

“I'm good,” he says. “You go on back, there's no need to follow me from here on. I'm good.”

Daisy puckers her lips and folds her arms.

“You are not going ahead without us Billy Spade, don't you dare!” she finishes loudly and clearly.

Daisy stomps back to Billy's starting point, buttons up her rain mac and checks her laces – all fine. Daisy turns and takes off. As she jumps, Billy backs away from the edge to give her space. She lands and he catches her, holding her safe.

“There,” she says and gives Billy a squeeze.

“Who's next?” she says, looking across the gap.

Peter and Rufus look at each other. Peter is unconvinced; Rex whines.

Rufus looks at Rex, thinking. He picks him up; he is a bit heaver than the backpack, though not that much. The problem with Rex is that he wriggles. Rufus puts him back on the ground.

“OK, Rex, it's like this, you are coming with us.”

Rex stares unblinkingly at Rufus – anyone watching would swear he understands every single word.

“And you can either be carried or chucked,” Rufus says. Rex tilts his head to one side and looks quickly at Billy, then back at Rufus. He scratches vigorously at his left ear for a few moments.

Rufus ruffles his hair and says, “Bark with whichever one suits, OK?” Rex yawns.

“Carried?”

Silence.

“Chucked?”

Rex barks immediately, several sharp clear woofs.

“OK then, means you are not to wriggle, you get me?”

Rex watches him and stays quiet.

“Right.”

Rufus crouches down and picks Rex up in a bear hug.

“No wriggling,” he says emphatically. “Billy? You ready?” he calls out.

Billy walks and stands at the very edge of the plateau, rolls up the sleeves on his hoodie and zips it up. Daisy stands behind him and has a strong careful hold on his hood, anchoring him as much as she can.

Rufus looks very serious and there is a hint of a teardrop in his eye. He blinks it away and gives Rex a quick kiss on his head.

“OK, here goes.” He shifts his grip on Rex (who is remaining remarkably still) and throws with all his might.

Halfway across, it looks like Rex is not going to make it; his paws start scrabbling in the air in an effort to push himself across, but he starts to fall.

Billy leans out over the edge, stretching his arms to full length. Daisy leans back to stabilise them. Billy catches the metal disc on Rex's collar in one hand and the top of his leg, at the shoulder, in the other. He grips hard and draws Rex to him; he wraps his arms around the dog and holds him fast. As he leans away from the edge, Daisy topples back onto the ground. All three are safe and sound. Daisy dusts herself down and allows herself a deep sigh.

“Phooo, thank God,” she says.

Rex gives Billy a quick lick on his nose and then scrambles away from Billy and starts sniffing the new ground.

Billy, Daisy and Rufus exchange glances and start to laugh out of relief. All is good.

“Soooo,” Daisy says, “who's next?”

Rufus looks at Peter, his eyes are downcast. “Screech, you wanna go next? I don't mind going last,” Rufus says.

Peter shakes his head. “I can't,” he says quietly, but only Rufus hears him.

Rufus walks over to his friend and stands close beside him. He looks up at Peter. “Sure you can.” He taps him on his upper arm. “Sure you can, Peter.”

Peter looks at Rufus and shakes his head again.

“I can't, I'm too scared Rufus. I just can't.”

Peter starts to turn and walk away but Rufus grabs his arm.

“Screech, I ain't leaving without you and that's a fact.” He grips his arm steadfastly. “Now look, I am right here,” Rufus stomps a foot on the ground. “Right here, right beside you, you can't miss me.” He gives Peter a big smile; Peter looks at him.

“Rufus, why are you so kind to me when all I do is think of myself?” Screech says.

Rufus looks at him. “Heh? Don't be daft, sure you're always helping me, with my sums and stuff – anyways, you're my friend.”

Peter shakes his head.

Rufus says, “It's true, you know what your problem is? Wastin' time feeling sorry for yourself and thinking you're not able – waste o'time Screech, that's all.” Rufus rubs his nose; he looks like he is going to sneeze but catches it in time.

“Tell you what, why don't we jump together?” Rufus says. “Throw your helmet over to Billy.”

Screech throws it and Billy catches it. No problem.

Rufus picks up a stick and draws a line, close to the edge, in the ground.

“See there? We jump at the line, OK? Together… right?” Rufus says.

Peter looks at his friend. Worried, his forehead wrinkles up.

“An I'm gonna hold your hand, nothing funny mind,” Rufus says. “The whole time, won't let go. OK?”

“Rufus, I don't know,” Peter says.

“Look you're taller en me, you'll help me too you know?”

Peter breathes in, really deeply. “OK, let's do it.”

Rufus and Peter walk away from the edge to gather the same momentum as their friends. It's a big jump. They pause; Rufus clasps Peter's hand.

Daisy yells, “Come on you two! You can do it!”

The two boys glance at each other, and each gives a cursory nod. They're off! They hit the line drawn in the ground at the same time and jump.

Daisy watches them as they leap away from the edge; she catches her breath and holds it. Both she and Billy step back to give them space to land. The boys make it, though Rufus gives his shin a nasty knock – it starts bruising immediately. Peter huffs and pushes his glasses back up to the bridge of his nose.

“Well done!” Daisy exclaims. Finally, she notices Gunner Sharpie. As Daisy looks at him, all the boys see him.

Billy calls out, “Mr Sharpie, just one jump and you'll be here!”

Gunner Sharpie shakes his head. Smiling, he says, “You young ones, Lord knows but my knees aren't up to it. Years ago, I'd ‘ave jumped it blindfolded. No, ye go on, I'll see ye again soon enough.”

Daisy looks at Gunner Sharpie. She tugs at Billy's sleeve and says, “Come on, Billy, time to go.”

Billy watches Gunner Sharpie, who says, “You go on son, I'll be alright.” Reluctantly, Billy turns after Daisy as she drags at his hoodie sleeve. Rex bumps into his leg and Billy bends down to give him the sought-after scratch. Rex grumbles in pleasure at the rubdown; he sounds like an old man. Rex glances at Gunner Sharpie's retreating figure and ambles off after the boys and Daisy.

“I don't like this place one bit,” Daisy says. “Gives me the creeps, proper.”

“Yeah,” says Rufus, “I agree.” He rubs his shin and shakes out his leg, limping a little.

“Daisy, your lace,” Billy says. There is a sound of real satisfaction in his voice.

Daisy looks down at her feet; sure enough, one of her cerise pink laces has unravelled. It is now significantly less pink. Daisy looks at Billy.

“You know, Billy, smugness is not attractive, you should know.”

“Uh huh, uh huh, you are so right Daisy, so wise,” he nods. “You'll never get to match those colours back – shame.”

“Oh, you are just infuriating,” Daisy retorts, but the boys can see her mind whirling – mismatched laces are something that just is not compatible with Daisy's DNA.

The three of them smirk. When Daisy glares at them, they just avert their eyes. Rufus starts whistling tunelessly.

“For heaven's sake,” Daisy exclaims, bends down and knots it back up. When she is finished, her hands look like she's been handling worms.

“Yeuck,” she mutters under her breath.

When Daisy straightens up, she looks back at the water. The silence is filled with emptiness; she shivers and says quietly, “There is just no life here, none.”

Peter is standing beside her. He rests his hand on her shoulder.

“No Daisy, perhaps not there, but here, beside you, right beside you, there is life.”

She looks at him. Peter smiles, his teeth are crooked, but in his smile there is such beauty that Daisy flinches. She collects herself quickly though.

“You don't half talk rubbish sometimes, Peter,” she says, but she returns the smile.

“Billy, where to?” Peter asks.

Billy fishes out the watch from his backpack, adjusting his position slightly, and glances at the watch. “This way.” He starts walking.

For ages, the ground is just level. It's like a deserted battle field or a football pitch with no grass and no stands or markings or goals – just flat, flat, flat.

Rex potters, but the reality is he finds the terrain plain old boring. There are no burrows, no hedges, nothing.

Looming on the horizon, the landscape changes; Peter, squinting through his glasses, is the first to notice the trees. There aren't a lot of them but they are tall, wide, big. A cobblestone path appears and as they walk along it, flowers bloom and grow in abundance. They flank both sides of the path, where moss creeps between the cobblestones – it is the most vibrant deep luscious green they have ever seen. Bees descend on the flowers, their buzzing chimes like hundreds of thousands of little bells. Birds frolic and wheel through the sky, skimming over the fluffy low-slung white clouds. The sky is the brightest lightest blue, beaming with joy.

The scents that whisper through the air are sometimes sweet, sometimes fresh; each and every scent is airy, breezy.

Billy says, “We just need to follow the path. The needle is pointing in the proper direction; this is the way.”

There is lightness in the air and in their footfalls, which carries them forward effortlessly. It's as though it's meant to be.

“Rex isn't peeing on anything,” says Rufus.

“He must be thirsty; he's not had water in ages,” Peter says. “And he didn't go near it in the quarry.”

“Not panting though, I think he's OK,” Daisy replies. “Just miffed he can't see any rabbits, is all.”

The conversation meanders with the four of them. They reach the trees but stay on the path, onwards and onwards. Billy pulls out the book and the map.

“Let's see. OK, here, there.” He points at the gate on the map, “We're nearly there!”

Peter, Rufus and Daisy all huddle round; they are super close.

Billy looks ahead. “I think I can see it.” He gets so excited he almost breaks into a run. They all speed up accordingly.

There it is, straight in front of them; the huge glimmering Golden Gate. It's like looking at the sun. The children can only rest their gaze on it a moment at a time.

The arch is high and wide. It looks as though it is made of gold and wrapped in golden leaves and flowers; the leaves are all tipped with diamonds. The gate itself is wide and just as beautiful. Beyond, the light is so bright, it is blinding.

“Wow!” the four children say in unison.

*

“And what, may I ask, are you four doing here?”

Billy's forehead furrows.
Oh no,
he thinks. Billy squares his shoulders and straightens the backpack. He folds the map into the book.

“Billy Spade, show me that book,” the voice says authoritatively.

Billy sighs, “Miss Beetle, I can explain.”

“Mmm hmmm, indeed, and what makes you think I want to know the reason, Billy,” she says gently. “That's stealing; that book does not belong to you.”

“Billy,” Daisy butts in, “you stole the book? Billy!” Daisy is aghast.

“Daisy Milicent, less of that please,” Jasmine Beetle says briskly. Daisy colours and stays quiet.

Jasmine holds out her hand and waggles her fingers.

“Now, please.”

Billy slouches over to Jasmine. “Sorry, Miss,” he says, and hands the book over.

Jasmine looks at him intensely. “Do you mean that?”

After a moment, he says, “No, Miss.”

“Thought as much; you should not say things you don't mean, Billy. It's an awful waste.”

“Yes, Miss,” Billy replies.

Jasmine starts checking the book, running her finger along the spine and flipping through the pages. That's when Billy sees the second gate; it's not that far away. It's like an old gate you'd see on a farm – wooden, a bit of mildew, a little bit rotten and missing part of a hinge.

Billy looks back at the Golden Gate.

“Erm, Miss Beetle, could you open the map out for me?”

“What's the magic word?” she says.

“Please?”

Miss Beetle smiles, “Go on then, here you go.” She hands him the map. Billy stares and stares at it.

“And what may I ask are the rest of you doing here? Today is not a day for being out, as well you know.” She looks at each of them individually, willing each of them to meet her eyes. The three sets are downcast; no one wants to look at her.

“There's only one gate on the map,” Billy says. “Look.” He walks over to his friends and shows them. “Only one gate.”

“It's obviously the Golden Gate, Billy; the other one is probably just, you know, not important, I'd say,” Peter says.

“What are you doing here, Miss Beetle?” Rufus asks.

“Well, Rufus, why do you ask?”

Rufus thinks for a moment. “Dunno really, just cause, what with it being the Day of the Dead and all – shouldn't you be inside too?”

“I'm in charge of all the books in the school, Rufus, did you know that?”

Rufus shrugs, “Never thought about it really, not big into books.” Rex barks in agreement, as if to say, “Books are stupid.”

“Well I am, and I take that very seriously indeed,” Jasmine says. She sits down and starts reading the book. It must be engrossing, because she takes only a moment to say, “This will have to go on your report cards.”

Daisy and Peter both start, “Awwwhhh Miss!” but Jasmine cuts them short.

“Needs must.”